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Really, the only questions facing the USC offense this preseason are sorting out the starting five up front and finding contingency plans within that unit if injuries strike.
As can not be overstated, redshirt junior Alijah Vera-Tucker's return -- reversing his initial opt-out decision -- was an immense relief to this tackle-thin roster.
Even though he isn't a tackle by trade, he's the best option at left tackle -- just as returning starting right guard Jalen McKenzie is the best option at right tackle. That underscores the Trojans' lack of experience on the edges and accentuates that second of those two questions -- what if those guys get hurt at some point?
Through a week of preseason camp, here's what we've learned about the offensive line overall.
The starting 5 looks set
Coach Clay Helton essentially indicated Thursday that redshirt junior Andrew Vorhees and redshirt senior Liam Jimmons are the first-team offensive guards, as we projected and expected.
And based on the practice videos USC has made available to media, Vorhees has been at left guard with Jimmons on the right side.
Redshirt junior Brett Neilon, of course, returns as the starting center, with the aforementioned bookend of Vera-Tucker at left tackle and McKenzie at right tackle.
That's exactly as we would have guessed it going into camp and makes the most sense.
Vorhees started 20 games over the 2017-18 seasons at right guard before missing most of last fall due to a foot/ankle injury. Jimmons, meanwhile, made the transition from defensive line prior to last spring and played in nine games with two starts at right guard in 2019.
"That one group that we're working right now, you're looking at Andrew Vorhees and Liam Jimmons at both guards and tackles. You've got Jalen McKenzie and Alijah Vera-Tucker that both have been guards and tackles, and then a Brett Neilon who's been a solid force," Helton said. "So you see that experience across the board and they're all juniors and seniors. All these kids that played young are now old and you can see when they step out there they're grown men. I mean, there's not one under 300 pounds. They're athletic, most of them are 310-315, so they're a bigger group, more knowledgeable group. It's what you want to develop an offensive line into being."
There's plenty of reason to buy into the optimism that group of five can be solid enough to give USC's abundance of playmakers the time and space to thrive. It's not without questions, though. As great as Vera-Tucker was at guard last season, he still has to prove he can handle left tackle in games. Same for McKenzie on the right side. Vorhees has to stay healthy. And Jimmons have to prove it over a larger sample size.
But this starting five makes a lot of sense and seems to be the best use of available resources.
For his part, offensive coordinator Graham Harrell expressed his optimism earlier in the week.
"I feel really good about where we’re at at offensive line. Especially with AVT coming back, that was really important for us," he said.
Again, it can't be overstated. If Vera-Tucker had remained out of the mix, it's anybody's guess what the replacement option would have been on the left side.
